The Great Gatsby 1. What is the American Dream? How does Gatsby represent this dream? The American Dream is to achieve success, wealth, and fame through thrift and hard work. The American Dream, is a "dream." Therefore, it is something that people reach out for, and attempt to succeed; not necessarily meaning they will achieve that dream. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,Gatsby, recieves popularity, wealth, and has what seems, "the perfect life," when in reality, he seeks the love from Daisy. Daisy is the cherry on top of everything that is wrong with the American Dream. She is greedy, shallow, and looks for wealth and luxury. Gatsby's failure to realize this symbolizes America's failure to realize that the American Dream isn't all that wonderful.
2. What part of his past is Gatsby trying to revisit? Is he sucessful in trying to recapture his past? Is there a person or event in your life you would want to go back to?
Meet the Robinsons: Lewis Invents the Future, Katherine Emmons, 0061124699
NO!
Gatsby is trying to go back to his life where he was youthful and lively with Dan Cody and Daisy. He almost lives in wanting the past but, it's not possible to live in the past, so why try to? Like in the movie, Meet the Robinson's, the family motto is keep moving forward. If Gatsby chose to not move forward, he wouldn't be where he is today, but he isn't wanting what he has anymore. The purpose of him becoming the sucessful man he was, was to get Daisy the one he loved. "He talked alot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was..." Although Gatsby had the typical "dream" life he still looked into the past and wanted things he didn't have now. There is no way to possibly re-live the past, because no matter what, something is always going to be different. I'm sure everyone wants to re-live some moment in their lives but then we wouldn't learn from our mistakes and wouldn't have wisdom of what we shouldn't do. That's why it's best to just keep moving forward. Here is a clip from the movie Meet The Robinsons it really demonstrates the way that life may not always be easy but you must keep moving forward. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm5AEG47Vi4
3. What elements of the Jazz Age does Fitzgerald use in The Great Gatsby?
Throughout The Great Gatsby, the mood of Jazz is obvious.
The setting of The Great Gastby takes place during
the roaring twenties. People during this time were changing
all of society. Women started wearing make up, and
cigarettes became a popular addiction. There were flappers,
there were actors, there were new clothing and hair styles.
However everything seemed to revolve around music. Gatsby
holds parties, with full orchestra players as entertainment.
"Ladies and gentlemen," (the orchestra leader) cried. "At the
request of Mr. Gatsby we are going to play for you
Mr. Vladimir Tostoff's latest work... Vladimir
Tostoff's Jazz History of the World." (Fitzgerald 49).
This video is some of the styles of music and dancing they had in the 1920's. Gatsby threw his parties to draw closer to Daisy, he was never really at his parties. That is an example of how people in the 1920's would party and test out new inventions to make thier lives better. In all actuality, the people aren't as happy as they seem, just how Gatsby is not really happy with his life unless he has Daisy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAOHtmy4j0&feature=related
1. What is the American Dream? How does Gatsby represent this dream?
The American Dream is to achieve success, wealth, and fame through thrift and hard work. The American Dream, is a "dream." Therefore, it is something that people reach out for, and attempt to succeed; not necessarily meaning they will achieve that dream. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,Gatsby, recieves popularity, wealth, and has what seems, "the perfect life," when in reality, he seeks the love from Daisy. Daisy is the cherry on top of everything that is wrong with the American Dream. She is greedy, shallow, and looks for wealth and luxury. Gatsby's failure to realize this symbolizes America's failure to realize that the American Dream isn't all that wonderful.
2. What part of his past is Gatsby trying to revisit? Is he sucessful in trying to recapture his past? Is there a person or event in your life you would want to go back to?
Gatsby is trying to go back to his life where he was youthful and lively with Dan Cody and Daisy. He almost lives in wanting the past but, it's not possible to live in the past, so why try to? Like in the movie, Meet the Robinson's, the family motto is keep moving forward. If Gatsby chose to not move forward, he wouldn't be where he is today, but he isn't wanting what he has anymore. The purpose of him becoming the sucessful man he was, was to get Daisy the one he loved. "He talked alot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was..." Although Gatsby had the typical "dream" life he still looked into the past and wanted things he didn't have now. There is no way to possibly re-live the past, because no matter what, something is always going to be different. I'm sure everyone wants to re-live some moment in their lives but then we wouldn't learn from our mistakes and wouldn't have wisdom of what we shouldn't do. That's why it's best to just keep moving forward. Here is a clip from the movie Meet The Robinsons it really demonstrates the way that life may not always be easy but you must keep moving forward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm5AEG47Vi4
3. What elements of the Jazz Age does Fitzgerald use in The Great Gatsby?
Throughout The Great Gatsby, the mood of Jazz is obvious.
The setting of The Great Gastby takes place during
the roaring twenties. People during this time were changing
all of society. Women started wearing make up, and
cigarettes became a popular addiction. There were flappers,
there were actors, there were new clothing and hair styles.
However everything seemed to revolve around music. Gatsby
holds parties, with full orchestra players as entertainment.
"Ladies and gentlemen," (the orchestra leader) cried. "At the
request of Mr. Gatsby we are going to play for you
Mr. Vladimir Tostoff's latest work... Vladimir
Tostoff's Jazz History of the World." (Fitzgerald 49).
This video is some of the styles of music and dancing they had in the 1920's. Gatsby threw his parties to draw closer to Daisy, he was never really at his parties. That is an example of how people in the 1920's would party and test out new inventions to make thier lives better. In all actuality, the people aren't as happy as they seem, just how Gatsby is not really happy with his life unless he has Daisy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAOHtmy4j0&feature=related
Works Cited:
Photo. Jazz age sisters. March 17, 2010.http://keepswinging.blogspot.com/2009/03/williams-sisters-jazz-age.html
Photo Jazz age. March 18, 2010 http://www.answers.com/topic/jazz-1
Photo Meet the Robinsons Keep moving forward. March 17, 2010http://www.flipkart.com/meet-robinsons-katherine-emmons-lewis/0061124699-nmw3f9r3dy
Photo. Great Gatsby and Daisy. March 18, 2010http://thequintessential.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/
Photo. Typical American Dream. March 15, 2010http://www.examiner.com/x-25008-Cincinnati-Sex-and-Relationships-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Chore-division-in-the-modern-relationship
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1996. Web.